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Jerusalem – city of God

The Bible has nearly 800 references to Jerusalem- called “the City of our
God” (Ps. 48:1,8) Jerusalem is God’s city, the city of Zion, he has invested
his name there (Daniel 9:19).

Jerusalem is called the city of the great King (Matt.5:35). Yahweh is
called “the God of Israel,” He is NOT called the God of any other nation
in this manner, The God of Jerusalem is key to the Jewish people, to Jesus and
to the end of the age.

Ps. 87:5, Ps 149:2:(Song 3:11 Isa. 33:14, Isa. 33:20; Jer. 9:19, Jer.
30:17; Zech.9:13; Isa. 59:20, Isa. 60:14 and they shall call you The City of
the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel).

The evidence of the creator uniquely affiliated with Israel is Abraham (who
was Chaldean) was brought out of his country (Ur). The covenant God made with
Abraham was about the land and the people. Speaking to Abraham Gen. 12:1-3:
“Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and
from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a
great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you;
and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Notice that is God that will do these things, it is an unconditional
covenant, it does not depend on man but God. He will give them the land and make
a great nation from Abraham. And indeed all the families of earth have been
blessed, as the Messiah- Jesus, came through Abrahams lineage, born in the land
God gave to Israel (Gal. 3:14-16).

He gave them the land of Canaan “from the river of Egypt unto...the river
Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18)

God has declared that the land of Israel was
His land never to be sold (Lev. 25:23) and that all nations would be punished
for dividing His land (Joel 3:2). The tribulation period is about this
punishment for disobeying what God has spoken.

Deut. 32:9-10: “For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the place
of His inheritance. "He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a
howling wilderness; he encircled him, He instructed him, he kept him as the
apple of His eye." You don't want to poke what God has his eye focused on.

Zion is called the city of God. Isa 60:14: “and they shall call you The
City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” It is where the Lord has
and will dwell again. Joel 3:21: “for the LORD dwells in Zion.” When the
temple permanently replaced the tabernacle and was built in Jerusalem it became
the place of his dwelling, his presence was there, thus name Zion.

Ps. 132:13-14: “For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for His
dwelling place:“This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for
I have desired it.” Ps. 87:1-3: “His foundation is in the holy mountains.
The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious
things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah”

Matt 2:1-2: The wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is
He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and
have come to worship Him." Why Jerusalem because they knew the king is to
eventually rule from that city.

Nearly all Jesus had done centers around this city. "for the Son of Man has
come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Now as they heard these things,
He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought
the kingdom of God would appear immediately” (Luke 19:10-11)

The scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus to challenge
him, (Mt. 15:1) Jerusalem killed the prophets (Mt.23:37)

Mt. 20:18: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be
betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to
death”

When that day came: Luke 23:28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters
of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your
children.”

Mt. 21:2-6 Jesus asked his disciples to go into the city and find a donkey
and its colt and bring them to Me. Fulfilling what was spoken by the prophet,
(Zechariah 9:9) “Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is
coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Israel is told Psalm 9:11: “Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.” SoJohn records in 12:13-16:
they “took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
“Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of
Israel!” Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is
written: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a
donkey's colt.” His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when
Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about
Him and that they had done these things to Him.”

He rode into His city and was worshipped and celebrated only to be abandoned
when he did not establish his kingdom then.

Isa. 28:16: “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a
stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure
foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.” Peter quotes this
passage and applies it to Christ, he goes on to say: “Therefore, to you who
believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone
which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of
stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the
word, to which they also were appointed” (1 Peter 2:7-8).

Rom. 9:32-33 Speaking of Israel “For they stumbled at that stumbling
stone.As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and
rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” This
stone was Jesus According to Peter and the apostles, and it was laid in
Jerusalem.

Jesus instructed them to go to Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit, the
place where the presence of God dwelt in the temple would now dwell in man (1
Cor. 3:16 and 2 Cor. 6:19) each individual believer’s body is a temple of God.
Luke 24:49: "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but
tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high”
(Act 1:4-5).

God has called Jerusalem (ZION) his home and those who fight against those
who keep it will fight against God on that day. It is Satan who opposes all that
God has written. Zech. 8:2-3: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I am zealous for
Zion with great zeal; with great fervor I am zealous for her.' “Thus says the
LORD: 'I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the LORD of hosts,
the Holy Mountain.'

God himself returns to fight for his people and land:

Isa 31:4-5: “For thus the LORD has spoken to me: “As a lion roars, and a
young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him,
he will not be afraid of their voice nor be disturbed by their noise), so the
LORD of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill. Like
birds flying about, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He
will also deliver it; passing over, He will preserve it.”

Isa. 62:11: “Indeed the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the world: “Say
to the daughter of Zion, 'Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is
with Him, and His work before Him.'“

“And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which faces
Jerusalem on the east” (Zechariah 14:4). The prophecies in the Bible say
that He comes to rescue Israel not destroy her-- Zech 14:1-5: “Behold, the
day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I
will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be
taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into
captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the
day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which
faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from
east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward
the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My
mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall
flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus
the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You.” As Enoch prophesied
in Jude 1:14: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints’
(also 1 Thess. 4:14).

At Armageddon it is a call to war Joel 3:10-13 “Beat your plowshares
into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, 'I am
strong.'"

In the Millennium:

Later when the Messiah establishes his throne the same phrase is used in
reverse

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war
anymore” (Isaiah 2:4; (repeated in Mic.4:3)

The Lord comes back to save his people Israel Joel 2:32: “And it shall
come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For
in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has
said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10
and applies it to Jesus.

Ez.47:13 48:29 Israel will receive all the promised land v.13-14 in v. 15-20
we find the actual borders of the land which are all of Lebanon the
Mediterranean to Euphrates river going south for a few miles to the Golan
heights. The sea of Galilee and the Jordan river. Enlargement of the land is
found in Isa.26:15; Obad. 17:21 there will be reconstruction of the land
Isa.64:4,5; Amos 9:14 there will be renewed fertility and productivity of the
land Isa.35:1-2, Isa.55:13 Ex.36:29-35.

Ps. 48:1-2: “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of
our God, in His holy mountain.”Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole
earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”

Ps. 76:1-2: I King 11:32:Ps 69:35-36: “For God will save Zion and
build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. Also, the
descendants of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name
shall dwell in it.”

Ps 102:15-16: “So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the
kings of the earth Your glory. For the LORD shall build up Zion; he shall
appear in His glory.”

Isa. 27:12-13: “And it shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will
thresh, from the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; and you will be
gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. So it shall be in that day: the
great trumpet will be blown; they will come, who are about to perish in the land
of Assyria, and they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship
the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” One day all the nations will know
that the God of Israel is the true God and will worship and worship him together
in his holy city.

After the Millennium

Gal. 4:25-26 “for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to
Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children--but the Jerusalem
above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Heb. 12:22-24 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the
general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to
God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the
Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better
things than that of Abel.”

Rev 21:2 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Rev 21:10-14 “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high
mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of
heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious
stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall
with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them,
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates
on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates
on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were
the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

The Holy city will still be called Jerusalem and will be connected to Israel
with the 12 tribes names and the apostles names. It is this city that will exist
throughout eternity.

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